“To act for a better world”: Using social justice graphic novels to empower youth

Graphic novels are becoming more widely accepted by librarians and teachers as a mainstream literary format for students. They are also effective tools for engaging youth with challenging social issues, as the quote in the title suggests. This chapter provides an overview of ways university instructors can teach pre-service educators to use social justice graphic novels in their high school classrooms and libraries. The content in this chapter is based on findings from research conducted by the authors about social justice issues in young adult graphic novels. The chapter includes an annotated list of selective graphic novel titles based on five social justice issues (racism, immigration and displacement, LGBTQIA+ and gender, mental health, and the environment and climate change). It also provides examples of standardsbased best practices for using the graphic novels with pre-service teachers and librarians, award lists, and other educational resources.